One Fine Day
by Kate Manoso
Summary: How bad can one day really be? Really bad if you are stephanie Plum. Chapter nine is up. Finished! For now.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: JE owns the Characters. The story is mine. I just like to fantasize.

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God hates me. I know this for a fact. My day was proof positive that he hates me. I can't really blame Him. I haven't been to a church service in, like, five years. I've been busy. Give me a break! I pray when I'm in trouble. Doesn't that count for something?

My name is Stephanie Plum. I'm thirty- three years old and I live in Trenton, New Jersey. I currently work for my cousin Vinnie. He owns Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. I'm a bond enforcement agent. Better known as a bounty hunter. No, I'm nothing like Dog. He's got a lot more muscle and a closer relationship with God then I do. I'm okay with that. I spend my days going after people who fail to appear. We refer to them as FTAs.

I'm privileged to work with two of my best friends. Connie, Vinnie's receptionist. And Lula, Vinnie's file clerk. Lula doesn't file much. She usually rides shot gun with me to aid in my efforts of being a bounty hunter. We aren't very orthodox, but we usually get our guy.

I'm currently sitting in my Grandma Mazur's Buick, looking at the gates to the RangeMan garage, while I'm thinking about my day. I had just been through a bad day. I am angry and in pain. I just couldn't decide if I really wanted to go in, or not.

_Ring._ I looked down at my cell phone. Tank.

"Yo," I said, when I answered my phone.

"Are you going to come in, or are you just going to sit there all night?"

"I'm not sure yet," I said, as I looked up at the camera mounted to the entrance of the garage. I waved and then heard Tank laugh.

"Have a bad day?" Tank asked.

"I don't know why you're asking. You already now that I did," I said as I slouched down in the driver's seat. "How's your hand?"

"It'll be alright. I'm in the control room. Come on up whenever you're ready," Tank said and then hung up.

I blew out a long breath and put my phone back in my purse. Tank was always watching me. He knew the events of my day and had been there for me. He had been my rock today. I'm very grateful that I had found an ally in my overwhelmingly large body guard.

I had made several mistakes today. The first, was getting out of bed. The second, was leaving Lula at the office. The third, was getting out of bed. I should have listened to Smart Stephanie. She had said that I was burning myself out. She said that I should take a day off. She told me to stay in bed. I chose to listen to Stupid Stephanie who had said that I was on a roll. In the last week I had tracked down and picked up fourteen FTAs. I had twenty thousand dollars in my bank account. Surely, I could have taken the day off.

I could have stayed in Joe's bed all day with Bob. Joe is my boyfriend. Bob is his big, orange dog. Joe is a Trenton cop. He's a good man and was letting me stay with him while my supper, Dillon, was doing some renovations to my apartment. The four week renovation is now in it's tenth week. Evidently, a drywall man ran into asbestos. That's not a good thing to have in your apartment, right? Joe had tried several times in the past ten weeks to get me to let go of the apartment. I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment. I need my own space.

I've gotten off track.

I slowly rolled out of bed this morning after I heard Joe head out. I took a leisurely shower, paying extra attention while I shaved my legs. I did the hair thing. I swiped on some mascara amd then stood back to look at myself. I was feeling a little off this morning, so I added an extra layer of mascara and threw on some lipstick. I threw on a pair of jeans and a black tank top. I walked over to the closet and fished out a pair of black, army issued boots that Tank had given me for my birthday last month. I deamed myself ready and headed out.

I made a quick pit stop at the bakery just down the street from the bail bonds office. I took my time walking up and down the bakery case. I had noticed that the woman behind the counter kept looking out the front windows. I turned around and looked, but I didn't see anything.

"Are you waiting for someone?" I asked when I turned back to the woman.

"Where's the really hot guy that always kisses you in here?" she asked as she peered out the windows.

"Sorry. He's out of town. I'll take a dozen Boston Cremes," I said to the woman.

I'm a little annoyed with the bakery lady. I haven't been set on fire by Ranger since I started living with Joe. That may have to do with the fact that I told him to back off. I was getting confused. One minute, he was showing me the soft under belly of the masked avenger. Then, the next minute, he was closed off and out the door. I couldn't take being yoyoed back and forth.

I got my doughnuts and slowly made my way to the office. The bakery lady had thrown me a curve ball. It had been awhile since I thought about Ranger. I was starting to miss him a little by the time I walked into the office. I dropped the box of doughnuts on Connie's desk.

"You okay?" Connie asked as she opened the box and fished out a chocolate doughnut. "You look pretty angry. Are you fighting with Joe?"

"No. I think that I'm having an 'off' day," I said as I grabbed a doughnut. "Do you have anything for me?"

"Two new skips," Connie said as she handed me two files from off the top of her desk. "You look kinda tired. Why don't you take the day off?"

"It's Friday. I'll take the weekend off," I said as I took the files and walked over to the ugly couch that sat opposite of Connie's desk.

"I didn't say that you could take Saturday off," Vinnie shouted from behind the closed door of his office.

Connie and I sat perfectly still. Suddenly, Vinnie's statement hit us both at the same time. I jumped up from my seat to help Connie search her desk. I hit pay dirt. Vinnie was getting better at hiding his bugs. He had placed it on the back of Connie's computer. He had even painted it to match the off white color of the desk top. I pulled it off and did a high five with Connie and followed it with a little happy dance. I took the little microphone and put it to my mouth. I then let out a blood curdling scream before I dropped it into Connie's coffee cup.

"That still doesn't mean that you get Saturday off," Vinnie shouted.

"What?" I shouted. "Are you going to fire me for taking a Saturday off?"

Silence. I guess I won this little battle. I knew that Vinnie needed me. I was the only thing that he had next to the 'Slut Puppy'. Joyce. No matter how much Vinnie hated it, I was better. During the last three years that I had worked for Vinnie, I had shown the most improvement in the last six months. It was taking me less time to get the skips, which meant that Vinnie wasn't losing any money. When Vinnie's in the black, I'm in the black, and everything is good.

"Are you going to do anything fun this weekend?" Connie asked.

"Nope," I said as I sat back down on the couch. "I'm going to catch up on some sleep. Then, I'm going to catch up on some house work. Joe and I have been so busy lately that the house looks like a tornado hit it. Plus, I'm running out of clean clothes."

"Saturday night is karaoke night. Call me if you want to hook up."

"Okay. Where's Lula?" I asked as I suddenly realized that it was pretty quiet in the office.

"Doctors appointment."

"That's a new one," I said with an eye roll.

Connie did an eye roll as well and then picked up her nail file to do her daily inspection.

"Well, I'm off to be a bad ass bounty hunter. I'll see you later. Have Lula call me when she gets back," I said as I picked up my files and headed to the door.

"Catcha later," Connie said with a mindless wave as she continued to inspect her nails.

I walked out to my brand new red Jeep Liberty and climbed behind the wheel. I threw my purse on the passenger seat and looked at my two only skips. For once, I was all caught up except the two that had come in this morning. I opened my first file and smiled at the face that looked up at me.

Mooner.

I looked down at my watch. Nine a.m. Mooner and Dougie don't usually get up before eleven, but I may be able to get them up with breakfast. As if on cue, my stomach growled. I just realized that I only had one doughnut. McDonald's it is.

I hit the drive thru and ordered a shit load of food. I was pretty sure, from a recent experience, that they would be hungry after their wake up hits of the wacky tabacky. I wound my way through the Burg to Mooner's house. I grabbed my purse and all of the food and walked right through the front door. Mooner never locks up. I sat all of the food on the coffee table in the living room and then headed up the stairs.

I went into Mooner's room first. If he wasn't a stoner, I would be all over him. He's six feet, three inches tall. Two hundred and fifteen pounds. Toned. Which is beyond me. I've seen him eat. Where in the hell does it all go? I've never seen him work out, but he had an eight pack. That mixed with the lazy blue eyes and blonde disheveled hair and you have one hell of a yummy man.

I walked over to the head of his bed and looked down at him. He looked so innocent. His full cheeks, wide jaw line, and thick eye lashes gave him a 'boy next door' look. His sharp eye brows and lean, muscular body contradicted that. I let my eyes take a leisurely stole down his body. I smiled when I got to his boxers. Scooby Doo. I looked back up at his face. There was a little smile playing at the corners on his full lips. Now I felt bad. He was having a good dream. I'd feel really bad if I interrupted that.

I quietly walked out of his room and peeked into Dougie's room. He was out like a light as well. I headed back down stairs and went into the living room. I flipped on the TV and settled in with my breakfast. I channel surfed until I found Scooby Doo. I smiled at the TV and dug in.

Dougie made his way down the stairs about an hour later. He looked over at me and gave a small wave before he headed into the kitchen. About a minute later I could smell his wake up bowl. He stumbled out of the kitchen a few minutes later with a sparkling grin in place. He walked over and sat next to me on the couch. I handed him a bag of food and went back to watching TV without a word.

Dougie is built just like Mooner. Same height, same weight, and same delicious eight pack. I would guess that it would make it rather convenient. They could share clothes. That's where the similarities end. Dougie has a thin face. Thin long nose, high narrow cheek bones, long pointy jaw. Thin lips that are quick to give a 'Joker'-like smile. He does do a really good impression of Jack Nicholson. I'll give him that much. He has amber eyes and he is currently sporting a neon green Mohawk. I let my eyes walk their way up Dougie's body all the way up to his face.

"See something that you like?" Dougie asked with a wolfish grin.

"I was going to ask where you got your cute boxers. I like the little hearts," I said with a big grin.

Dougie looked confused and then looked down at himself. I saw his cheeks turn bright red right before he jumped off the couch and ran upstairs. Evidentially, Dougie forgot that he was only in boxers. He returned a few minutes later with a pair of jeans on and mumbled an apology.

Mooner stumbled down the stairs a half an hour later and went straight to the kitchen. Dougie got up and followed him in. They both reappeared a few minutes later. Both grinning. They sat down on the couch with me in the middle. I handed Mooner his bag of food and returned my attention to the TV.

"Steph?" Mooner said after a half an hour of silence.

"Huh?" I said as I looked over at Mooner.

"What are you doing here?"

"You're FTA, my friend," I said with a huge smile. "I need to get you rebonded whenever you're ready."

"Not again," Mooner said as he hit himself in the head.

"I'll get you through it. Again. This time, I'll make a note of your court date on my calendar and at the office. Connie and I won't let it happen again."

"You're the best Steph," Mooner said as he threw his arms around me and gave me a bear hug.

"Where's my love?" Dougie asked after Mooner released me.

I turned to give Dougie a hug and soon found myself in his lap. I laughed and kissed Dougie on the cheek as I gave him a hug. I love my little stoners.

I had called Connie and arranged to meet her at the station to get Mooner rebounded. I then met up with Joe and had lunch with him. During lunch, Lula called to let me know that she was back at the office. I had told her that I only had one more FTA and I felt comfortable doing it on my own.

That's when everything started going down hill.

_Please review. I'm not sure where to take this to. I may have to take more time with this story, then I did with my last one. - Kate_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: JE owns the charaters. I own the story. I can't believe that none of us are making money on this shit! ( sigh ) How depressing.

Warning: There's a violent scene in this chapter.

Author's Note: I have this problem. I can never come up with good names for FTAs that haven't been in books before. I had this problem in my last story. I think that it may just turn out to be one of my things for my stories. Using famous people as my FTAs. God help me. No one shoot me. I'm only using the name. I highly doubt that this person would stoop as low as to become an FTA. I also "borrowed" from Quinten Tarantino's _Reservior Dogs._ It came in a dream. What can I say?

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I'm still looking at the gates to RangeMan. I decided that I should probably pull into the garage. That way I won't be in anybodies way. I started up the Buick and used the key fob to open the gate. I pulled in and found a parking slot next to the elevator. I turned off the car and stared out the windshield. One step at a time, right? I'm tired, but I'm not ready to head up and face Tank. He had witness a very messy scene between Joe and me at the hospital. He had even stepped in. I'm not sure if it helped, but he had kind of come to my rescue.

I carefully leaned back in my seat and thought about the rest of my day.

Michael Madsen was my one, and only, FTA. According to his file, he lived in a small apartment building on the good end of Stark Street. When I say the good end, what I really mean is that there are more hookers on the street than there are gang bangers. The grafiti is only on the buildings, instead of every square inch of available surface like it is down the street.

Stupid Stephanie shouted, _Go get him, Steph._ And Smart Stephanie shouted, _Are you kidding? He lives on Stark street!_ I was with Stupid Stephanie on this one.

That should have been my first clue that it was a bad idea. However, my day was going great and I thought that I was on a roll. Super Stephanie had taken control. Besides, if I got him, I'd get ten thousand dollars. That's a pretty good chunk of change.

I took a deep breath and turned onto Stark Street. It was one o'clock in the afternoon. The streets were pretty dead. I took it as a good sign when I was able to find a parking spot right in front of Madsen's apartment building.

I pulled out his file and read it again. His street name was Mr. Blonde. That kind of confused me because the man in the picture had brown hair. His file said that he was six feet, two inches tall. Two hundred and fourty-five pounds. Brown hair, light blue eyes. There is a small scare in his left eyebrow. He had a wide jaw line and a set of dimples that gave him an innocent look when he smiled. He has been working at the bar across the street for the past five years. He was a bartender. He had been in and out of prison since he was sixteen. His last trip in was for being in possesion of stolen goods.

This time around, Madsen had been arrested for a number of things. Resisting arrest, attempted murder, felony flight, driving on a suspended licence, speeding, driving under the influence. On top of all of that, the arresting officer also got him on a broken tail light and three counts of running a red light. I guess Madsen had a really bad day.

I grabbed my stun gun, mace, and cruffs out of my purse and put them in varring pockets. I got out of my jeep and locked it up. I walked around the jeep and looked up at the five story brick building in front of me.

_Yike!_ This place is a little scary. Most of the windows were either boarded up, or had aluminum foil up in place of curtains.

_Show some back bone,_ Stupid Stephanie said. I took a slow, deep breath and went in the building. To the left in the foyer of the builing was an elevator. There was an 'Out Of Order' sign on the doors. To the right was a bank of mail boxes. Straight ahead was a stair case. I guess we're climbing to Madsen's fourth floor apartment. A little exercise never hurts, right?

I didn't hear the door open when I hit the second floor as I made my way up to the stairs. That's why the boot to the back of my left knee caught me off guard. I fell forward and hit my head on the first step of the next flight of stairs. I rolled onto my back and looked up to see who had kicked me.

Madsen. He was standing over me with a twisted grin on his face.

"I knew that Vinnie would send you after me. I've been waiting for you Bombshell," Madsen said in a low voice that was laced with venom.

"My name is Stephanie," I said as I used a napkin that Madsen had thrown at me to apply preasure to the gash that I had on my forehead. I had the stun gun in my pocket, but I thought that I'd give Madsen a chance to walk out on his own. "Would you like to tell me why you did that?"

"I can't give away all of my plan to you, can I?" Madsen asked as he took a firm grip on my arm and pulled me up on my feet. "You didn't hit your head too hard did you? You aren't going to pass out or anything like that?"

"No," I said as I tried to get out of his tight grasp. "Let go of me."

"Why don't we go up to my apartment, Bombshell?" Madsen said as he turned me around and started pushing me up the stairs.

"That sounds like a great idea. You can get ready to go, and then I can take you back down town to get rebonded," I said trying to sound excited about going into his apartment.

I walked faster up the stairs and reached his aparment door before he did. I opened the door and stepped inside. I did a fast scan of the apartment. Black leather couch and matching recliner. Glass top coffee table. Fifty inch flat screen TV in the corner. Fire escape out side of the window in the living room. Kitchen and small dinnette set on the right. Open door straight ahead to the bedroom and connecting bathroom.

I got another boot to the knee when Madsen came up behind me. I fell further into the apartment. This doesn't look to good. I scrambled to my feet and backed into the living room.

"You know," I said trying my best to move things along. "If we hurry, we can get you rebonded without you setting foot in a cell."

"I'm not getting rebonded," Madsen said as he took a step towards me.

I took another step backwards towards the window. The fire escape was going to be my only way out of here.

Before I had a chance to react, Madsen lunged at me and hit me so hard in the cheek, that I was knocked back into the wall. I hit it hard enough to cause a dent in the drywall where my back had made contact. I fell to the floor on my hands and knees. I couldn't breath and I was dazed. I felt Madson run his hands over my body and relieve me of my weapons and cuffs.

"These may come in handy," Madsen said with an evil grin as he twirled the cuffs around his finger. "I'm glad that you came prepared for a good time, Bombshell."

I started to panic. Blood was slowly running down the side of my face and I was having a hard time getting a good breath. There was no way that I could take this guy down. He was twice as big as me. And to top it all off, I was on my own. No Lula. No Merry Men. _Jesus!_ I thought. _Ranger hasn't even had a chance to lo-jack my new car yet! I'm screwed._

As if reading my mind, Madsen started laughing. It sent shivers up my spine. It sounded sadistic. He walked over to me and pulled me up the wall with his hands around my neck. I has hanging in the air with my feet dangling about a foot off the ground. I could feel tears start to burn the backs of my eyes. I clawed at his hands when I started having a hard time getting air. Understanding my breathing dilema, Madsen slightly loosened his grip. Allowing air back into my lungs.

Is this really it? Is this the way I'm going to die. Here? By the hands of a psycho? _I'll never get to see him again_, my inner voice whispered to the two Stephanies as tears started to run down my face. _I didn't get to say goodbye._ Madsen leaned into me and ran his tongue up the side of my face. I guess that was his way of wiping away my tears. He pulled back and laughed at my disgusted expression. He leaned his full body into me to show me how turned on he was getting.

"Not in this life time, you sick bastard," I whispered as I felt anger starting to rise. I didn't want my life to end like this. I didn't want it to be his face that I saw as I took my last breath.

I saw a flash of rage in his eyes a split second before I found myself flying through the air. I crashed down on the glass coffee table, sending shards of glass every where. Mainly into me. I slowly sat up and winced as a few large peices of glass dug deeper into my legs and ass. I went to get up and felt a sharp pain in my left arm and ribs. I looked over my shoulder and saw glass sticking out of my shoulder and back. I reached around and pulled the two pieces of glass out. I kept the larger of the two in my hand. Now I have a weapon.

Madsen slowly walked over and kicked the glass out of my hand as he laughed at my pathetic attempt to save myself. There goes the weapon. He haulled me back up into the air and walked over to the window in the living room.

"I guess you aren't as invinsible as everyone thinks you are. Where are your precious men in black now? Let's see if you can fly," Madsen said.

I watched in horror as Madsen kicked out the window in the living room. He shoved me out onto the fire escape. I had tried to pull away, but his grip on my arm was too strong. I watched as he clumsily climbed through the window. In a moment of clear stupidity, I put my full weight in to a hard shove into Madsen. I felt the railing give way to the combination of our weight. I screamed the second we were air born. I was able to catch a side railing off of the second floor fire escape. I looked down just in time to see Madsen land face up on my beautiful, new Jeep.

I couldn't move or breath. I was frozen in complete terror at the thought of what I had just done. I looked down at Madsen lying on the SUV. Blood started to pour out of his head and out onto the roof of the vehivle.

I felt a vibration on the fire escape and looked up.

"Steph?"

"Tank," I whispered. My throat hurt like hell from Madsen's hands and the screaming.

I watched as Tank flew down the fire escape stairs. I looked up into Tank's eyes and imidiately saw the fear as he gingerly pulled me up the side of the fire escape. Then he took a head to toe scan of the damage that Madsen had caused. He reached up and wiped the tears that had fallen away with his thumb and gave me a weak smile.

"I think that we need to take you to the hospital," Tank said quietly. "You can lay down on your stomach in the back of the Bronco. I'll call Lester to come do clean up."

"I don't think that Lester can clean this one up. How did you find me?" I asked.

"I put a tracking device on your Jeep last night. Hal called and told me that you were on Stark. I came as soon as I could," Tank said as he looked down at the fire escape latter. "Are you gonna be able to walk down?"

"I don't think so," I said as I followed his gaze down the latter.

"This is going to hurt, Steph. But, I promise that I'll get you down as fast as possible."

I stood there, still in shock over the last ten minutes, that I didn't comprehend what Tank had just said to me. He quickly bent over and threw me over his shoulder. Tank had inadvertantly put his hand on a part of my leg that had a shards of glass sticking out of it. He quickly moved his hand and I heard him swear softly right before I passed out from the pain.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. I just like to make them do what I want.

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I'm having a full blown panic attack while I'm sitting in the Buick in the RangeMan garage. I'm sweating from head to toe, having a hard time breathing, and I can't stop shaking. It was like I had forced myself to relive the whole event. I had experienced every cut and bruise all over again. With my arms wrapped around my chest, I let the tears flow. I had been holding the tears back all night. No matter how the police saw it, I had a hand in ending a life. I knew that neither of us could have survived a fall from that height. I was just lucky that I had grabbed the fire escape.

_Ring._

I pulled my phone back out and looked at the caller I.D. Hal. Word travels faster through RangeMan then it does through the Burg.

"Yo," I choked out when I answered the phone.

"Breathe, Steph," Hal said calmly into my ear. "You need to take a couple of deep breaths."

I took several deep breaths and used the back of my hand to wipe my face. How did he know that I needed to hear a calm voice?

"Are you okay?" Hal said quietly.

"No."

"Do you want me to come down and get you?"

"NO!" I shouted as panic started to set back in. I still wasn't ready to deal with the Merry Men.

"Calm down, Steph. Call me if you need help. Take your time."

"I'll call if I need anything," I said and then hung up.

What happened to my day? It had started out so well. I got to hang out with Mooner and Dougie. I had a great lunch with Joe. He had finally started to be supportive about me being a bounty hunter. He had said 'go get him'. Things were really starting to work out for us. We weren't fighting all of the time. I still wasn't ready to marry him, but I had started to think about thinking about getting married. At least that's what I thought.

I had past out when Tank had carried me down the fire escape. When I came to, I had found myself in the back of the Bronco. Tank had laid the back seats flat and had stretched me out on my stomach over the seats and into the cargo area. He had pulled my left arm up between the front seats and was holding my hand. I think that it was more for Tank then it was for comfort to me.

When my mind finally started to work again, I realized that Tank was talking. I saw the blue tooth in his ear and blow out a silent sigh of relief. For a moment, I had started to think that the stress of Tank's job had finally made him go crazy. I know for a fact that I cause a lot of his stress.

"I'm taking her to St. Frances."

There was a pause as Tank listened to who ever he was taking to. I could see the muscles in his jaw and neck tighten. I didn't need to guess as to who he was talking to. The first call that any of the Merry Men make is to Ranger. They have to update him on the events that took place. I heard Tank tell Ranger everything that he had seen. Evidently, Tank was coming to the window in Madsen's apartment when I had pushed us into the railing. Tank saw us go through the railing and disappear. Tank still looked spooked. I'd have to make it up to him.

Tank took a corner on two wheels as he raced us to the hospital. I had to sink my teeth into my bottom lip to keep myself from screaming. My body had shifted, but my clothes didn't. I could feel the glass move. My vision got blurry as tears started to form. I blinked and let them fall down my cheeks. I must have made a sound because Tank squeezed my hand. I looked up at him and could see the concern in his eyes. I tried my hardest to muster up a smile, but I'm pretty sure that it turned out to be a grimace.

"I've gotta go. I'm pulling up to the hospital. I'll contact you later, Ranger," Tank said and then took the ear bud out of his ear.

Tank pulled up to the emergency room doors and jumped out of the Bronco. He got the back door open and gently pulled me out. I prayed that no one recognized me as Tank carried me into the emergency room.

"Stephanie!"

Shit! I guess I'm not that lucky. I turned my head to the side and saw Gail running towards me. Gail's sister is married to one of my cousins. This will be all over the Burg in about two minutes.

"Steph," Gail said as she moved my hair out of the way to see my face. "What happened, Honey?"

"She fell on a glass coffee table," Tank said. "Can I put her down somewhere?"

"Sure, Big Guy. Follow me," Gail said as she turned and escorted us into the emergency room.

Tank carried me to a private room and laid me down on the gurney. He pulled a chair over and sat down at the head of the bed. I grabbed Tank's hand and held on tight.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bomber," Tank whispered in my ear.

Two doctors and three nurses flew into my room and started accessing the damage. One of the nurses had told Tank that he had to leave. That was quickly retracted after several seconds of silence from Tank. I didn't have to see to be able to tell that Tank had sent the nurse a death glare. If Tank said that he wasn't going anywhere, then he wasn't. That was one of the rules of the Merry Men. Don't leave Stephanie alone if she's injured.

I could hear Gail just outside the door and I was immediately overcome with dread. She was talking to Joe. I could hear her tell him that I was in St. Frances and that I was hurt really bad. Then, she told him that some large man dressed all in black had brought me in. I'm dead meat now. I had been hiding my ongoing association with the Merry Men quite well. Joe had asked me to stay away from Ranger. That included Ranger's men. I liked the guys. They made me laugh and none of them had ever made me feel like I was a in the wrong line of work. I couldn't just cut them out like that. I honestly don't think that Lester, Hal, Cal, Bobby, and Binkie would have let me walk away.

A sharp pain in my leg brought my mind back into the room. I shot a look at the nurse that was working on cutting my jeans off. She murmured an apology and slowed down. They got all of my clothes cut off and I started feeling very naked in front of Tank.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," Tank whispered in my ear.

I guess he felt my insecurity. Either that, or he had ESP as well.

"Not ESP. Your grip on my hand tightened."

"How bad is it?" I asked Tank referring to the damage on my back side that he was getting an eye full of.

"We'll have a better idea once they get you cleaned up," Tank said quietly as he ran a hand through my hair and pushed it out of my face. He laughed as a few curls fell back into my eyes. I knew that Tank was trying hard to comfort me, but I couldn't even get up enough energy to smile. What I really needed was a time machine so that I could start my day over again.

"Stephanie," one of the doctors said to me as he leaned down to look into my eyes. "We're going to put in an IV and get some fluids pumped back into you. Once we get the IV in, we'll get some pain killers into you as well. When we get your pain under control, we'll start getting you cleaned up and see how bad things are."

"Okay," I whispered to the doctor.

I heard the door open and tightened my grip on Tank's hand. I knew it would be Joe. This wasn't going to be pretty and I felt bad for Tank having to witness it.

"Cupcake."

Who knew that that one word said everything. Joe was extremely pissed. That said everything to me. He wasn't scared. He wasn't worried. He was mad. Mad. That's when everything became painfully clear. This wasn't going to work. He didn't ask if I was okay. He didn't put his hand on my cheek and smile at me as he said that I would be okay.

"Joe," I said quietly.

I was waiting for him to come over to the bed, but he didn't move. He just stood there. I could feel his eyes looking over my body. The mood in the room quickly shifted as Tank stood up. I could feel Tank's anger emitting from his body. It's possible that Tank didn't like Joe's reaction to my injuries.

"I'll be right back, Steph. Joe and I need to have a conversation outside."

Tank released my hand and moved away from me. I heard the door open and then close.

"I'd really hate to be in Joe's shoes," a nurse whispered to me.

"Can you look out the door and make sure that Tank doesn't kill Joe?" I asked.

"I can look out the door, but I don't think that I could stop the big guy. I left my tranquilizer gun at home today," she said as she moved out of my vision to the door. "It looks like they're just talking right down the hall."

She stood there, quietly looking out the door at Tank and Joe. I heard the punch that occurred down the hall. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I waited to hear another punch as I held my breath. There was nothing. Just silence.

"I think I need to get a compress for the big guy," The nurse said after a moment. "He hit Joe pretty hard. I'll be right back."

I was just laying there, with my eyes shut, thinking about what Joe had said to push Tank over the edge. It was unusual for Tank to lose his cool and use his fists. I heard the door open once more and Tank walked up to the head of my bed. I opened my eyes to look at him as he pulled his chair around so that he was sitting in my view.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. Joe said that he'd see you at home."

"I guess your conversation didn't go to well."

"I'm sorry, Steph. But, Joe crossed the line," Tank said quietly.

Tank moved back to the top of the bed as the nurses and doctors worked on getting me cleaned up. They all worked as a team and had me patched up in a little less then two hours. During that time, I had given my statement to a police officer. I was glad that I didn't know the poor kid that had to take my statement. Before he left he had said that he was really glad that he got to meet me. The famous Bombshell Bounty Hunter was the words that he used with a big smile plastered on his face.

A nurse gave me a paper that had care instructions on it. I was given a prescription for more pain killers and an appointment for the following week to have the stitches removed.

Tank handed me a small duffle bag after the nurse left the room.

"It's our emergency Stephanie bag," he said in response to my questioning look.

"It's a what?" I asked.

"Ella put it together about a year ago. Lester dropped it off with your purse about an hour ago. There's clothes and shoes in there."

I carefully stood up and sat the bag on the bed. I opened the bag and started pulling the clothes out. A pair of black cargo pant, a black RangeMan polo, under wear, socks and a pair of boots. Ella is always prepared. Tank helped me get dressed and then walked me out of the emergency room.

"Where to?" Tank asked as we slowly walked to the Bronco.

"My parents. I already called my mom. I need to pick up the Buick," I said as Tank helped me get into the Bronco.

"Are you sure that you should be driving?"

"I'll be fine."

Tank drove to my parents house in silence. When we got there, I had promised Tank that I would call him once I got home. After battling with my mother over my choice in professions, I was happy to see that he had waited outside for me. He followed me to Joe's house, but kept driving as I pulled into the driveway.

I had to face the music alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter three kinda sucked, but I had to get it out there. I couldn't continue my story without having something to lead up to this chapter. I'm crossing my fingers that this chapter is better.

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. Yada. Yada. Yada.

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I was brought out of my memory by a knocking on my window. I looked to my left and saw Binkie's face plastered to my window as he made a funny face. I couldn't help but laugh. Somehow, I knew that Binkie would be the one to come down and get me. I could never say 'no' to him and the guys knew it. His cute, dimpled cheeks and his brown, 'puppy dog' eyes could get me to walk through fire. Naked. His looks had the same effect on me that Ranger does when he says 'please'. They both had a power over me and neither one of them were ever ashamed to use it.

"You look like hell," Binkie shouted at me through my closed window with a playful smile.

I gave him my best 'Burg' glare and opened my door. I stuck my hand out, indicating that I needed help. Binkie took my outreached hand a carefully pulled me out of the Buick. His perfectly cut brown hair was looking a little disheveled, so I ran my fingers through it in an attempt to fix it for him. He gave me a dazzling smile as he looked down at me. The smile said it all. He was on a mission.

"I guess Tank sent you down here to get me," I said as I leaned against the car. A sharp pain ran through my left butt cheek and I quickly stood back up. My butt was turning out to be a problem.

"They know you too well. Tank said that you wouldn't be able to resist me. He said that I had permission to use every face in my arsenal to get your butt upstairs." Binkie said with a laugh as he grabbed my hand to pull me towards the elevator. He froze when his eyes caught sight of the two duffle bags in the back seat of the Buick. "Trouble in paradise, Bomber?"

"Paradise doesn't exist," I said sadly as I looked at the bags. I felt a tear slid down my cheek, but I didn't make an effort to wipe it away.

"Where's Rex?" Binkie asked as he looked over at me. He slowly reached up and wiped the tear off of my cheek. It was a sweet gesture coming from a sweet friend. Lately, I had seen more of Binkie while he was off the clock. He had turned into a good friend without me even realizing it.

"I couldn't carry his tank. I'll have to get him tomorrow," I said as another tear rolled down my cheek. I looked at the front seat where Rex's tank should have been sitting. "I can't believe that I left him behind."

"I'll get him for you in the morning," Binkie said as he opened the back door and pulled out my two bags.

"I take it that I'm staying here tonight?" I asked Binkie as we made our way to the elevator.

"Yep," Binkie said as he hit the button to the fourth floor when we stepped in.

Binkie wrapped one of his arms loosely around my shoulders as we road the elevator up in silence. He was careful not to put too much pressure on my left shoulder. My left shoulder and right thigh had sustained the most damage. The doctors told me that I would probably need physical therapy because there was some minor muscle damage.

We exited the elevator when we got to the fourth floor. Binkie steered me to apartment number four. I was starting to think that the guys left this one open just for me. Like they were waiting for me to come back. I always felt at home here. Even when Ranger was out of town.

We found Hal on my couch and Lester laying on my bed when we walked in. Binkie dropped my bags on the floor in front of the dresser. I stood there eyeing the guys silently. They were waiting for me to spill the beans on the fight with Joe.

I needed a pain pill before I could deal with this. I walked over to the little kitchenette and put my purse on the counter. I fished out the little bottle of pills and got one out. I pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, popped the pill in my mouth, and downed the water.

I walked over to the recliner next to the couch and eased myself into it. I had to lean on my right side due to the slice across my left butt cheek. I hope that that one doesn't leave a scar.

"Talk to us," Hal said after I sat there silently for a minute.

"What do you want me to say, Hal," I said bitterly. "That all of you guys were right? That my relationship with Joe was never going to work? That Joe doesn't love me for who I am? That I just wasted four years of my life?"

"I'm sorry, Steph," Lester said as he sat up on my bed.

"It wasn't your fault," I said as I looked over at Lester. Lester's usually bright green eyes had a hard look to them. His long blonde hair hand a lot of finger tracks in them from him running his hands through it. His full lips were pressed together like he was keeping words trapped in his mouth. "I'm the one at fault for not seeing things the way that they really were."

"How were they?" Binkie asked.

"It was all a lie!" I shouted as I stood up. My Hungarian temper was getting the best of me and I started to wave my arms around as I let everything out. "He lied to me every day! He said that he loved me! He told me that I was perfect. That we were going to build a life together. The two of us! I had almost started to believe that we would be okay. I was a fool for believing a single word that came out of his mouth!"

"Steph, please sit back down before-"

"Don't, Binkie," I said in a warning tone that my mother had used on me as a kid. Whoa! Where did that come from?

"What did he say?" Lester asked as he scooted to the edge of the bed. I looked over at my friend and recognized the look in his eyes. He was angry that Joe had hurt me.

"I knew that it was over as soon as I walked in the house, Lester," I said as I hobbled over to the dresser. I let a few tears slide down my cheeks as I kept my back to them. I started putting my clothes in the drawers as I told them what happened. "I found Joe sitting in the living room in the dark. I could feel his anger radiating off of him. I can't really be mad at him for being angry with me. I shouldn't have gone after Madsen. I know that. He was way out of my league. I went in there on my own and almost got myself killed."

I moved into the bathroom and left the door open so that they could still hear me as I put my toiletries away. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was a mess. My left eye had already started to turn black. There was a large bruise on my left cheek as well. Thirty stitches closed the gash on my forehead over my right eyebrow. I really hope that that doesn't leave a scar either.

"It was what he had said to me that ended it," I said to the guys as I stared at myself in the mirror. "He told me that I had to quit working for Vinnie in the morning. He said that no girlfriend of his was going to be some half-assed bounty hunter that almost gets herself killed on a regular basis. I tried to apologize, but he wouldn't let me. He didn't want to listen to anything that I had to say. He said that if I didn't quit working for Vinnie in the morning, it would mean the end of our relationship. I know that he's just trying to protect me, but he handed me an ultimatum. He didn't want me to be who I am. I don't think that he's expecting an empty house when he gets home in a while."

"He wasn't there when you left?" Hal asked as he walked into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub.

"No," I said as I turned around to look at him. His pale blue eyes were filled with concern. I walked over to him and moved a piece of blonde hair off of his forehead and pushed it back into place with the rest of his hair. He sadly smiled up at me. He was hurting with me.

"He handed out his order and then left," I finally said. "I stood there for a moment and stared at the door that he had slammed in my face. Then, I realized that Joe had made the decision for me. I couldn't stay with someone who couldn't support the decisions that I make. It shouldn't matter if they are good, or bad. I need someone to stand beside me and pick me up when things go bad. It nearly killed me when I packed up my clothes. Every other time that I've left Joe, I've had a feeling of regret as soon as I'd turn the corner down the street from his house. I didn't this time. I felt relief."

"I'm proud of you, Bomber," Lester said.

I looked over at the door way and saw Binkie and Lester standing there. They really were my friends. It really meant a lot to me that they were here for me in the middle of the night.

I looked down at my watch. One A.M. The pain pill was starting to kick in and I was starting to get tired. I walked out of the bathroom, past Binkie and Lester, and made my way over to my bed.

"We're going to take off so that you can get some sleep, Steph," Binkie said as he pushed Lester towards the door. "I'm going to head out and see if Joe has made it home. If he hasn't, then I'll grab Rex."

"Thanks, Binkie," I said as I started pulling the covers back on the bed. I turned back and looked at Hal. "Can you see if Ella can give me a hand in the morning? I'm going to need her to help me clean up my stitches and change my bandages."

"Sure, Steph," Hal said as he walked over and pulled me gently into his arms. He gave me a hug and a kiss on my hair. "Things will be okay."

"I know," I said with a smile as I went up on my tip toes and kissed him on the cheek.

I watched the guys leave. I turned out the lights and slowly stripped off all of my clothes. Hal knew how to make me feel better. All of the Merry Men did one thing for me or another. They had all wiggled their ways into my heart, and I was grateful for every single one of them. They've seen me at my worst and have never looked down on me for it.

I fell asleep feeling like one of the luckiest people in the world. I had some really great friends who had been there for me. They didn't judge me. They just loved me the same way that I loved them. For who they are.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

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I knew that I should have expected something out of Cal when I wake up this morning. I had been pulled out of sleep by a bass beat that was coming from his apartment next door. I sighed heavily when I looked at my alarm clock. Seven A.M. I should have know that a nine A.M. wake up call from Ella wasn't in the cards for me. I slowly sat up in the pitch blackness of my room and wrapped my sheet around myself. I trained my eyes on the door and quietly waited for Cal to come flying in.

My door swung open in between songs. I could just see Cal's outline in the door way. I could make out that he had a cowboy hat on and that he wasn't wearing a shirt. His shoulders looked oddly shiny as the hallway light hit them.

As the next song came on I was shocked by the blue and red strobe lights that came on in my room. Cal definitely had help this morning. Cal started dancing his way into the room. Justin Timberlake's _Sexy Back _filled the hallway and my apartment.

As he got closer, I could finally see the get up that he was in. The authentic cowboy hat went perfectly with the leather chaps that he was wearing. I almost had a heart attack when he turned around and I saw that he was wearing a black thong under the chaps instead of jeans.

I saw him lean down and grab something off the floor. He threw it at me and it landed in my lap. I picked it up and started laughing. It was a whip. He sang to me over his shoulder as he backed up closer to my bed. Shaking his perfect ass my way.

_Dirty Babe_

_You see these shackles baby, I'm your slave_

_I'll let you whip me if I misbehave_

_It's just that no one makes me feel this way_

I put my hand to my chest to make sure that my heart wasn't going to jump out. This was way over the top for the Merry Men. But, it somehow seemed to fit Cal. Chaps and all. He's an amazing dancer. _Did someone turn the heat on in here?_ I asked myself. He put the cowboy hat on my head and kissed my cheek. I ran my hand up his chest. Baby oil. Hmmm! I think that I might have licked my lips because Cal laughed at me. He turned and danced his way out of my room. The song ended and the lights turned off as he shut the door.

I was just sitting there in the dark. Stunned! Had that really just happened? Maybe it was a dream. It's possible that I was having weird dreams due to the pain pills. I reached over and turned the lamp on that sat on the nightstand. I still had the whip in my hands and the cowboy hat on my head. There was a bag from Dunkin Doughnuts sitting next to the lamp. A note taped to the bag. I pulled the bag into my lap and read the note.

_Steph,_

_I'd love to see any of the guys try to top that one. I hope that you're feeling better this morning. I really wish that I could have been there for you last night. I'll be back for lunch. Junior and I are bringing you Pino's._

_Cal_

Okay. So, it wasn't a dream. At least I know that I haven't lost my mind, right? I sat in bed and ate the doughnuts while I thought of Cal's yummy ass. How could I not? He shaked it in my face. I might have even drooled a little. Cal has an amazing way of turning into a wet dream at the drop of a hat. I think that it might have something to do with the dark brown hair and lazy brown eyes.

Lester walked into my room as I finished the last doughnut. He was wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt and a pair of jeans that had rips in both knees. No shoes, just socks. The grin across his face told me that he was in on my wake up call. He climbed up on my bed and laid down next to me.

"You and Cal have been busy this morning," I said as I smiled down at him.

"We thought that you might need cheering up after your bad day. It was all Cal's idea," Lester said as he looked into my empty bag. "I see that you already enjoyed breakfast."

"Yes. I did. But, honestly, those chaps nearly gave me a heart attack."

"It almost gave me a heart attack that Cal actually owns a pair of chaps. What on Earth is he doing owning a cowboy out fit?"

"I know that I could think of a very good reason for him to own them," I said on a laugh as a dreamy look crossed my face. _Yummy!_ I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Well, since I'm awake, do you think that you could give me a hand this morning?"

"I'm at your disposal today."

"What does that mean?" I asked eyeing the man that was stretched out on my bed.

"Tank assigned me to sit with you today. Incase you needed anything," Lester said with an absent minded wave.

"Babysitting?" I asked as I felt my temper creeping up.

"No," Lester said as he flew into a sitting position. "Don't take it like that, Bomber. Tank knew how bad you got hurt yesterday. He wanted to make sure that you'd be okay today."

"I'll deal with Tank's insecurities later. I really need a shower. That means that you are going to have to take all of my bandages off," I said as I felt heat rise into my cheeks. This is going to be embarrassing.

"I got this all figured out, Steph. If you lay down on your stomach, I can take the bandages off and I won't see anything… personal," Lester said with a growing smile.

If I didn't know any better, I would think that Lester had begged for this job this morning. That way he could see my ass without repercussions from Ranger. The light in his eyes confirmed my suspicions and it made me laugh. Lester is a lady's man through and through.

I shook my head as I slowly eased myself down onto my stomach. I gave Lester a small nod indicating that I was as ready as I'd ever be. He slowly pulled the sheet down my back. He removed the large patch on my left shoulder and the leaned down and kissed it.

"My mom always kissed my boo boos better when I was a kid," Lester said when he leaned back to look at the stitches and array of cuts that peppered my back. "It's your right leg, too?"

"Both of my legs are bandaged. My right leg has stitches. You probably won't have to bandage my left leg back up," I said quietly. I was touched that one of the Merry Men had shown such a very gentle side to me.

Lester pulled the sheet back up over my back and moved down to my legs. He softly kissed the stitches on my right leg and made me giggle. He pulled the sheet back over me legs when he finished pulling the bandage off my left leg and sat for a moment. I think that he was trying to prepare himself for the next step. He carefully pulled the sheet over to expose the gauze pad covered my whole left butt cheek. He slowly pulled the pad off.

"If you kiss my ass, I will tell everyone in the building," I said.

"It would almost be worth it," Lester said with a laugh. "Now go get in the shower. I'm going to throw on some tunes."

"Alright," I said as I wrapped the sheet around myself and then slowly made my way to the bathroom. The pain was a little more bearable this morning. My butt was really the only thing that hurt. Pain pills would still be on the menu for the day.

I took a quick shower. Twenty minutes is quick for me. I pulled on a black sports bra, that had a RangeMan logo on the right breast, and a black thong, that had a matching logo on the back. Ella is a funny lady. I walked out of the bathroom and found Lester and Binkie sitting in my small living room talking about David Bowie.

"_Changes_ is the best Bowie song," Binkie said.

"No way! _Blue Jean _is his best song," Lester countered.

"_Space Oddity _blows both of those songs away," I said as I finished walking out of the bathroom. Evidently, they hadn't heard me open the door. They both had surprised looks on their faces. It was that, or they were shocked that I had actually walked out without a robe on.

My pain had started to escalate as I stood in the shower, so I walked over to the kitchenette and took another pain pill. Then, I walked over to the entertainment unit. I turned the CD player on and popped a disc in since it looked like Lester had forgotten. Shirley Manson's voice softly came out of the speakers.

I walked over to my now made bed and flopped down. Ella had already been through on her morning cleaning tour. I'm glad that I had Lester this morning. It would have killed Ella to see me this way. She has slowly turned into a second mom to me over the past couple of years.

I felt Lester move onto the bed next to me. I looked over at him and he gave me a small smile. I closed my eyes and laid there as he thoroughly cleaned my stitches and bandaged me back up. I pulled on a loose t-shirt and a large pair of boxers once Lester deemed me ready for clothing.

"I'm going to go see Tank," I announced as I pulled socks on.

"What's up?" Binkie asked from his seat on the couch. I looked over and noticed that he was not in his usual RangeMan gear. He was wearing a Pantera t-shirt and jeans that mirrored Lester's. Again, no shoes, just socks.

"I know that I can't do the bounty hunter thing until I get better. Until then, I can get Tank to put me back on RangeMan's payroll and let me do searches. I'll get a laptop and do them up here," I said as I walked over to the door.

"On a Saturday?"

"Shit," I said as I let my hand drop from the door knob. "I forgot that it was Saturday."

"Besides," Lester said as he stood up and walked over to the entertainment center. "I already have today planned for us."

"Really?" I asked as I walked over to his side.

"Yep. We're going to veg out and watch Quentin Tarantino movies all day. It'll be great!" Lester said as he gave me a nudge towards the couch.

I sat down next to Binkie on the couch and snuggled into him. He draped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. He planted a light kiss on the top of my head and then placed his cheek there. _Reservoir Dogs _was first up.

Cal and Junior showed up just as _Pulp Fiction _ended. They were carrying what looked like ten paper bags that had _Pino's_ written on them. Cal sat down in front of the coffee table and started unloading the bags. He evidently knew that they were going to be feeding more then just me.

Junior sat down on the couch with me and Binkie. He gave me a light kiss on the bruise that covered my left cheek. Then, he pulled me out of Binkie's arm and wrapped his arms around me. I was starting to feel like a cheap slut.

"No. You're not," Junior whispered in my ear.

_Is it a prerequisite that you have to have ESP to be a Merry Man?_ I thought to myself.

"No," Junior said with a laugh.

Damn it! I know that he's lying. I just couldn't prove it yet. That would have to be something that I work on while I'm getting better.

Lester popped in _Kill Bill, Volume One _and we all ate lunch as we stared at the TV. I had taken another pain pill and snuggled back into Binkie. I fell asleep about half way through the movie.

I woke up when I felt Binkie's body tense up. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at him. I turned my head to see what he was looking at. My heart got lodged in my throat as I looked into a pair of chocolate brown eyes.

"Babe."


	6. Chapter 6

Okay. So, if you go to Napster a lot, like I do, then you have to go before you read this chapter. Type in _Bread _in the search box. Go down until you find a song called _It Don't Matter To Me _off of the _Best of Bread _album. Press play when you get to the song in this chapter. It will really help you as a reader.

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

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"_Babe."_

Ranger was standing in the doorway to my apartment. Sexy as ever in his black t-shirt and cargo pants. He had his long hair pulled back into a pony tail. His chocolate eyes were staring into mine. I felt my heart rate pick up as I watched his eyes darken. _How can he look at me that way? I look like hell!_

That's when all hell broke loose in my head.

_He loves you, damn it! Get off your ass and go to him!_ Stupid Stephanie screamed.

_He can't commit._ Smart Stephanie calmly stated.

_That doesn't matter._ Stupid Stephanie proclaimed.

_This has disaster written all over it. We all know that._ Smart Stephanie tried to reason.

_It's Ranger!_ Stupid Stephanie shouted.

_Exactly! It's Ranger! He'll break our heart. He's already told us before that he doesn't come with a ring. There's no future with Ranger._ Smart Stephanie said.

I agreed with both of the Stephanies. Ranger is just as much a train wreck as I am. But, what stupid Stephanie said next blocked out anything that Smart Stephanie could say.

_Remember how awesome he is in bed?_ Stupid Stephanie whispered._ Do you remember what it's like to be in his arms. Nothing can touch us while we're with him. Nothing._

I saw a small smile playing at the corners of Ranger's lips. He knew of the war that was raging inside my head. He simply stood there and waited for it to end. He was waiting for my decision.

I patted Binkie on his knee and then slowly stood up. I felt the guys watch me as I slowly limped over to Ranger. _God, my leg is killing me._ He held his hand out as I walked up to him. I stopped about a foot away from him and looked down at his hand. I looked back up into his eyes after a moment. He was still waiting. I smiled at him as I slid my hand into his.

Neither one of us said a word as he pulled me out of my apartment and led me to the elevator. We rode the elevator in silence up to the seventh floor with our hands still linked. I looked at my reflection in the mirrored doors of the elevator. I looked like I had just been in the ring with Mike Tyson. I smiled at myself. This is me. Take it, or leave it.

"You look fantastic," Ranger whispered.

I shifted my eyes over to look at Ranger in the mirror. He was smiling. Really smiling. The 200 watt smile that warmed my heart every time I saw it. We walked out of the elevator and into his apartment. It was dark for the middle of the afternoon. Ranger effortlessly maneuvered us through the darkness.

We stopped just outside his bedroom door. I saw a soft glow coming out from under the door. Ranger slowly turned me so that I was facing him. He put his hand on my cheek and pulled me forward. His lips sweetly captured mine. A rush of emotion was poured into the kiss by Ranger. Everything that I had ever wanted from him was in this one kiss.

Panic set in and I tensed up. It was an automatic reaction to him. Ranger slowly pulled back and then opened his bedroom door. I slowly turned my head to look into the room. All of the emotion from the kiss that we had just shared finally made sense.

"Babe," Ranger said quietly as he saw the tear fall down my cheek.

Ranger's room was normally a small paradise thanks to Ella's eye for simple style and elegance. The room that I was looking at was heaven and he had done it for me. There were different sizes of white candles placed throughout the room that had been lit. There were rose petals thrown across the floor. They were simply things that seemed to change the feel of the whole room. The room smelled little Ranger fresh out of the shower. The smell alone had my mouth watering.

Ranger slowly led me over to the bed. He sat me down on the bed and picked up a guitar that was leaning against the bed. He settled himself on the bed and began playing a song. There was a smile playing on his lips as he stared at me. I settled back and gave him my full attention as he started to sing.

_It don't matter to me _

_If you really feel that _

_You need some time to be free_

_Time to go out searching for yourself_

_Hoping to find_

_Time to go to find_

_It don't matter to me_

_If you take up with some_

_One who's better then me_

_Cause your happiness is all I want_

_For you to find _

_Is your piece of mind_

_Lot of people have an ego hang up cause they want to be the only one_

_How many came before it really doesn't matter just as long as you're the last_

_Everybody's moving on and trying to find what's been missing in the past_

_It don't matter to me_

_If your searching brings you _

_back together with me_

_Cause there'll always be an empty room_

_Waiting for you_

_An open heart _

_Waiting for you_

_Time is on my side_

A tear slid down my cheek.

_Cause it don't matter to me_

_It don't matter to me_

_It don't matter to me_

_It don't matter to me_

_It don't matter to me_

_It don't matter to me_

_Cause there'll always be an empty room_

_Waiting for you_

_An open heart_

_Waiting for you_

_Time is on my side_

_Cause it don't matter to me._

I was stunned speechless. Had Ranger really just told me that if I needed time, he would be here waiting for me? I watched as Ranger sat his guitar down on the bed.

"This was for you. Only you. I know that you just left Morelli. But, I had to tell you that I'm here. Whenever you're ready," Ranger said.

I looked into his eyes. I could see the emotions on his face. Love and fear. He had let his guard down while he sang the song to me. I reached up and touched his cheek. He leaned into my hand and then turned his head and kissed my palm.

"I need to know how much you are willing to give," I said quietly after I found the ability to speak.

"Everything. No more secrets. No more masks. A ring."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

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"_Everything. No more secrets. No more masks. A ring."_

_Holy shit!_ Smart Stephanie screamed. _A RING!_

I silently stared at Ranger trying to process what he had just said to me. A RING! Did he really just say that? A picture of a little boy flashed into my head. He looked just like Ranger. I had never been able to picture a kid with Joe. The fact that I could with Ranger said something.

Ranger sat quietly in front of me. He wasn't waiting. Just watching. He had infinite patience when it came to me. I envied that about him. He had the control that I seriously lacked. He had all of the qualities that I wanted. Including the mask.

I watched as he reached into his pocket and pull out a little black box. He sat it on the bed between us. He knew that the curiosity would eventually get to me.

After about five minute of a staring contest with Ranger, I caved. I slowly looked down at the box. It was the standard small, black box that you would get from any jewelry store.

_It's just a box. Who knows. Maybe it's just earrings._ Smart Stephanie said.

_Have you lost it?_ Stupid Stephanie asked. _That is soooooo a ring box._

I reached down and picked up the box. I looked back up into Ranger's eyes. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes looked nervous. I kept eye contact as I opened the box. I really wanted to look down at it, but I couldn't. After what seemed like an hour, I snapped the box shut with out looking down.

"I need time," I said as I handed the box to Ranger.

"I know," Ranger said quietly as he took the box out of my hand. "This is going to kill you later."

"I'm sure that it will. I'll just have to live with the fact that I'm going to have to wait to see what that ring looks like."

"You'll have to wait?" Ranger asked as confusion slipped into his eyes.

"I need a little bit of time before I can say 'yes'."

I watched as Ranger's eyes turned to a dark brown that was almost black as the words that I had just spoken registered in his brain. A smile was tugging at the corners of his lips. I put my hand up as he started to shift towards me.

"I'm still hurt, Ranger," I said.

"I can be gentle," Ranger said softly. His voice was low and seductive.

"There isn't a doubt in my mind that you can be. But, I'm not talking about my physical injuries. I have to heal emotionally before I can be with you," I said as I climbed off the bed. "Go back to Miami and finish your business."

Ranger sat on the bed and stared at me. He had a hurt look in his eyes. The new open Ranger was definitely different. A little spooky, too. No masks. Hmmmm.

"You want me to leave?" Ranger asked.

"Not want. Need. I can't heal with you here. I'll just end up running up here before I'm ready. Junior said that you had about a week left in Miami. Go back and finish your deal," I said as I smoothed away the frown lines that had formed on Ranger's forehead. "Then come home."

Ranger flew off the bed and wrapped me in his arms. He had touched my left shoulder and I winced. He immediately dropped his arms and stepped back. I smiled at him and pulled him back. I placed his arms around my lower back and put my arms around his neck. I pulled him close and nuzzled into his neck. I heard Ranger sigh as he tightened his grip.

"Did I hurt you?" He whispered in my ear.

"No."

"Liar," Ranger said with a laugh as he kissed the top of my shoulder.

"No. You aggravated a previously acquired injury."

"Hmmmm."

"Hmmmm."

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Ranger asked.

"I can't," I whispered. I felt regret stab me in the chest as I moved out of his arms. I smiled at him as a tear slipped out and rolled down my cheek.

"It's okay," Ranger said as he reached up and wiped the tear away with his thumb.

I turned my face into his palm and kissed it. This is hard. I don't want to leave. But, I can't stay. This sucks. I looked into his eyes one more time and then turned away and left the bedroom. I walked out of the apartment and into the elevator. I saw Ranger open his door as the elevator doors closed. I instantly hated myself for walking out of the apartment.

I rode down to the fourth floor and walked down the hall towards my apartment. The door was still wide open and I could hear the guys laughing inside. I walked in and everyone fell silent. I went to the kitchen and popped another pain pill. I chased it with a beer. I turned around and leaned my right hip against the counter and looked at the guys.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Binkie asked.

"I'm leaning against the counter and drinking a beer," I said as I lifted the Corona in my hand.

"Steph," Lester said. "What are you doing down here?"

"Did someone else move in while I was upstairs?" I asked as I looked at Lester.

"Why aren't you up stairs banging Ranger?" Junior asked.

I took another swig of my beer and stared at Junior. The Merry Men are confused. They usually always knew what was up. I smiled at Junior as I tipped my bottle upside down and drained my beer. I threw the empty bottle in the trash can under the sink.

"Steph?" Cal said.

"I need time," I said with a shrug.

"Time?" Tank said from the doorway. He had is angry face on. "What in the hell is that suppose to mean?"

I looked at the large black man that stood in my doorway. I've known Tank for several years and he doesn't scare me anymore. He lost his scare appeal when I saw him giving Lula kissy faces about two months ago. I smiled at Tank as the image of his kissy face flashed into my mind. The smile turned into a laugh and I could see Tank look at the other guys in confusion. I looked at Binkie who just shrugged at Tank's silent question. That made me fall to the floor laughing.

Tank pulled me up to my feet once I was able to gain control. I was still giggling a little as he walked me over to the couch. I sat down between Binkie and Junior. They both gave me a look that told me that they thought I had lost my mind.

"I'm not crazy," I said to Junior.

"I think that you've totally lost it, Bomber. What do you need time for?" Junior asked.

"I just need a little bit of time to regroup," I said with a shrug.

"How does Ranger feel about you needing time to regroup?" Cal asked.

"Babe."

I looked over and saw Ranger standing behind Tank. I was glad that there were other people in the room. The anger that was lingering in his eyes was very evident. To everyone. Ranger is a very private person and I'm pretty sure that he wasn't impressed with the fact that we were all sitting there talking about what was going on.

"Don't be mad at me," I warned. "Your Merry Men are the ones that are interrogating me. Be mad at them."

This got me a glare from Hal, Cal, and Tank. Lester just smiled and shook his head.

Junior leaned over and whispered, "Sell out."

"I just wanted you to know that I was heading out," Ranger said to me.

"Call me when you land," I said from my seat on the couch. There was no way that I could go to him. I probably wouldn't let him leave.

Ranger flashed me a 200 watt smile and walked away. He knew what I was thinking. Damn him! This ESP thing was really starting to bug me. I seriously need to see if I can get to the bottom of this.

"Where is he going?" Lester asked Tank.

"Miami," I said.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. Not me.

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I was jarred awake by someone shaking me. My eyes flew open and I was looking into Cal's eyes. The light from the hallway spilled into my room and lit up the side of his face. He looked scared.

"Steph?" Cal shouted at me as he pulled me up into a sitting position.

"What?" I shouted back.

"Christ! You were screaming. What's wrong?" Cal said as he flopped down on my bed.

The dream came back to me in a flood of panic. Madsen. The coffee table. Going through the railing. I rubbed my hand across my chest to try to calm my heart that was beating at an alarming rate. I looked down when I felt that my shirt was wet. I was soaked in sweat. I pulled my hand away and saw that I was shaking. I looked up at Cal. His face was filled with concern.

"It was just a nightmare," I said as I looked over at my alarm clock. Three A.M. "I'm sorry that I woke you up. Go back to bed."

"It's okay, Steph," Cal said as he wrapped his arms around me lightly. "Do you need me to stay?"

I sat there for a moment in Cal's arms. Would that be too weird? I thought about it for a minute. Sleeping next to a Merry Man has definite appeal on a sexual level, but I needed someone on an emotional level. Yep. Too weird.

"Go back to bed, Cal. I'll be okay," I said as I pulled out of his arms.

"Just pound on the wall if you need anything," Cal said as he stood up.

I watched Cal walk out of my room and shut the door. I sat in the darkness for a moment. Just waiting. For what? I don't really know. I laid back down and tried to get comfortable. After about a half an hour, I realized that sleep wasn't coming my way. I turned on the light next to my bed and surveyed my room. Nothing out of the ordinary. I climbed out of my bed and walked over to the coffee maker. I'd need coffee if I wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep.

By four I was showered and dressed. I was proud of myself that I had gotten myself ready this morning with out help. It helped that I didn't have to bandage myself back up. Lester had told me that I should only need to bandage my stitches for a day or two. However, after moving around for a few minutes, I ended up putting a bandage on my left butt cheek. The cargo pants that I had chosen to wear today were rubbing on my stitches and irritating me. I had found the pants in my drawers. They were mysteriously there when I had arrived late Friday night. Along with a few other pairs of cargos and a few RangeMan tank tops. Ella.

I picked up the mess from the previous night and was making my bed when I heard someone messing with my door knob. I quickly flipped the lights off and stood behind the door. One of the Merry Men was up to something.

I watched as the door slowly opened about a foot and Binkie stuck his head in. He pulled his head back out and whispered to someone in the hall. When he opened the door a little further I jumped out of my hiding place and shouted.

"BOO!"

I watched as Binkie stumbled back and fell into Lester. They both wobbled a little before they fell to the ground. I leaned on the door frame and looked down at the two guys laying on the floor. I smiled down at them and started laughing. They were both dressed like cheer leaders.

"I don't even want to know what the two of you were planning," I said as I reached out and helped Binkie to his feet.

"What are you doing up already?" Lester said as he stood up and smoothed out his skirt.

"I've been up since three."

"Why so early?" Binkie asked as he pulled his shirt back down.

"Bad dream. What's on the agenda for today?" I asked trying to skirt the issue.

"Don't ask us," Binkie said. "Junior has 'Stephanie Detail' today."

"I think I'm going to run down to the control room and see if I can get a laptop," I said as I side stepped the cheer leaders. "I'll see you ladies later."

"Very funny," Lester said as he made his way to his apartment.

I quickly made my way up to the fifth floor via the stairs. I walked into the control room and found Brett laughing so hard that he was crying. He had seen the whole thing on the monitors.

"I have to save this," Brett said as he wiped tears off of his cheeks.

I didn't know Brett that well, but I really liked his train of thought. I walked over and sat in a chair next to his and looked at the screens in front of us. Nothing going on. I swiveled in my chair to look at the man next to me. Brett was pretty much like the rest of the RangeMan crew. Very tall. Lots of muscles. Great smile. Awesome rock hard ass. The thing about Brett that made him stand apart from the rest of the crew was his blue Mohawk. The Mohawk was always the same. The color often changed. I guess Ranger didn't really care because it was easily hidden by a had. His blue-grey eyes were still laughing at the scene that he had just witnessed in the hall on the fourth floor.

"What can I do for you this morning, Steph?" Brett asked as he swiveled his chair to look at me. "Christ! You look a lot worse then Tank said."

"Thanks," I said as I hit him in the arm. I think it hurt me more then it hurt him. His biceps were like rocks. "I need a laptop and some searches."

"One step ahead of you," Brett said as he stood up and walked over to a near by desk. He came walking back over with a stack of files and a laptop. "Tank asked me to gather this for you. He knew that you would ask for it this morning."

"ESP?"

"Nope. He just knew that you'd start to go crazy," Brett said with a large smile that went straight to his eyes.

"I'll need a printer as well."

"I'll have one of the guys lug one up as soon as they get their lazy asses out of bed," Brett said with a smile.

Yep. I really like Brett. I grabbed my files and laptop and told him that I'd see him later. I took the elevator down to the fourth floor and headed towards my apartment. Junior's door flew open when I was right in front of it. I froze mid step and turned my head to the right to look at him. He had shaving cream covering every centimeter of his face. I watched as he slowly opened his eyes to look at me.

"Hey, Stay Puff," I said with a wide smile.

"Stay Puff?"

"I thought you were going for the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man."

"I was trying for the Pillsbury Dough Boy."

"Either way… you failed, my friend," I said with a giggle. "I'm working today."

"I can see that. That's cool. Tank is starting to get on my case because I'm behind on my paper work. Let me finish getting ready and I'll grab a laptop. I'll even bring breakfast when I come back up."

"Sounds good to me," I said as I finish my walk back to my apartment.

I sat my laptop and searches on my bed. I felt like listening to music, so I walked over to the entertainment center. I couldn't find anything that I really wanted to listen to. Pink. 311. Everclear. Eminem. Green Day. Nothing grabbed me. Cal! Cal always has good Cds. I looked down at my watch. Five A.M. He should be up by now.

I walked out of my apartment and stopped at the door to my left. I lifted my hand to knock and stopped. None of the guys knock on my door. Do I really need to knock on theirs?

_What if he's naked?_ Smart Stephanie asked.

_What are you waiting for?_ Stupid Stephanie asked. _Go in there!_

I was with Stupid Stephanie on this one. I opened the door and stuck my head in. Cal was still asleep in bed. I crept over to his bed and looked down at him. He looked so peaceful. I really had a bad desire to disturb this. I took a few steps back from his bed. I drew in a deep breath and screamed at the top of my lungs. Cal shot out of bed and landed on the floor.

I fell to the floor laughing. I didn't see the glare or Cal get up off the floor. Within a blink of an eye, I had an ass in my face. It had happened so quickly that it took me a second to orient myself. I had been thrown over Cal's shoulder. He was heading to the bathroom. Not Good!

I heard the shower turn on. I then found myself under a steam of ice cold water. I let out another scream as I tried to get out. Cal was doing his best to keep me under the water. I had almost gotten half way out when Cal's arms came down around my waist. He quickly spun me around and forced me back under the shower head. Cal started laughing as I screamed even louder.

"Screaming isn't going to help your cause. That's what got you in here in the first place," Cal said with a devilish grin.

"Uncle!" I screamed. "Uncle!"

"Not good enough."

"Someone help!" I screamed.

"That's not going to help either," Cal said as he looked over his shoulder. "Right Hal and Lester?"

"I'm not interrupting this. It's too funny," Lester said.

"Sure glad that you're on my side, Buffy," I shouted.

"What's going on?" I heard Junior ask.

"Help Puffy!" I screamed as I tried to get out once more.

"Puffy?" Cal asked with a curious look.

"Don't ask," Junior said in a low, warning voice.

My teeth had started to chatter and I had my arms wrapped around my chest. I thought that I had about five minutes before hypothermia set in. Luckily I didn't have to wait that long.

"Let. Her. Out." I heard a big voice boom. Tank! My Savior!

Cal dropped his arms and handed me a towel. I didn't want to drip water all over the floor. What if someone slipped and hurt themselves? I looked down at my soaked clothes and back up at Cal. He was smiling down at me. ESP occurred and Cal walked out of the bathroom and shut the door. Hmmmm.

I quickly peeled off my clothes and wrapped the towel around myself. Cal had turned some music on and was dancing around when I came out of the bathroom. I walked over to the entertainment center and grabbed a couple of Cds. I pulled Cal down and kissed him lightly on the cheek. It was in the name of fun, right?

I ran out his door and into my apartment. I grabbed some clothes and got myself dressed. Again. The Merry Men were torture on my clothes. Thank god for Ella.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: JE owns the character.

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I was pulled out of my search by the ringing of my phone. I looked at the caller I.D. and sighed. It's my mother. I was trying so hard to not have this conversation. I reluctantly hit the talk button.

"Hello Mother."

"Did you really leave Joseph?" my mother asked.

Great! It's going to be another one of those conversations.

"Yes. I did."

"Why?" my mother asked. She continued before I could answer. "He's a good man. He owns a home. He loves you. He wants to settle down and have a family."

"You just answered your own question."

"I don't understand you. You could have a great life with Joe. Why do you always screw these things up?"

"Joe wants me to be something that I can't be."

"Is this about being a bounty hunter?" my mother asked.

"Yes. It is. If he really loved me, then he would be okay with my job."

"He just wants you to be safe."

"No. He wants me to be a Burg wife. I can't do that. It's not what I want."

"Stephanie-"

"Have you ever thought about what I want? Every one keeps on pushing me into a mold that I don't want to fit into. I want to live my own life. And that life doesn't have me being a Burg wife. I'm sorry if that disappoints you, Mother. Lord knows, that's all I've ever done. I'm working. I'll call you later."

With all of that said, I hung up the phone. I sat up on my bed and ran my fingers through my hair. My Mother has never understood me. She wants me to have her life. I don't want her life. I like working. I like being able to go out and have fun with the girls. I don't want to lose myself.

I looked over at Junior who was sitting on my sofa. He was quietly sitting there staring at me. He was like Ranger in a way that he would just stare at me until I came clean. I played the staring game for a minute and then gave up.

"My mom is mad because I broke up with Joe," I said with a sigh as I laid back on my bed in my thinking position.

"It's your life, Steph."

"I know. It's just hard because I always disappoint her. She hates my job. She hates that I'm not ready to settle down and have a family. She hates that I have a different stalker every week. She hates that I blow up a car every two months."

"Have you ever considered that you haven't been ready to settle down because you weren't with the right person?" Junior asked.

This got my attention. I stared at my ceiling letting the thought run around in my head. I think that Junior might be on to something here. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe I was holding out. For Ranger? I slowly sat up and looked at Junior. He was leaning back on the couch with his hands laced behind his head. He had a satisfied look on his face. He knew where my thoughts were running.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"I think that you and Ranger have loved each other for a long time. I think that you each bring something into the other persons life that they were missing before you guys met. Ranger will let you fly as high and as far as you want. And he'll be right beside you."

I stared at Junior for a moment. My Hispanic brother had some very good points. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed a number by heart.

"Where is he?" I asked when the other end picked up.

"He's still in Miami."

I hung up the phone and turned to my laptop. I exited out of my search programs and pulled up Priceline.

"What are you doing?" Junior asked as he stood up and walked over to my bed.

"I'm getting on the next plane to Miami," I said with a grin.

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It was hotter then hell when I landed in Miami. I grabbed my bag and picked up my rental car. I had directions to the Miami RangeMan that Junior had printed up for me while I was frantically packing. The building was easy to find and I parked in a lot across the street.

"Stephanie Plum?" the man behind the counter asked as I walked through the door.

"That's me."

"Ranger is going to freak out. He's been moody as hell lately. Thank God you're here," the man said as he walked me over to the elevator. He pulled a walkie talkie out of his belt clip and spoke into it. "I'm putting her on the elevator now."

"He doesn't know that I'm here, does he?" I asked as I stepped into the elevator.

"Nope. Tank said it was a surprise," the man said as he hit the button for the sixth floor for me. "Andrew is waiting for you. He'll point you in the right direction."

I road the elevator up and smiled up at the camera as I gave a friendly wave. The doors opened and I came face to face with a man that looked exactly like Ricky Martin. Maybe I was making the wrong decision.

"Andrew?" I asked as I held out my hand.

"That's me. Wow! The famous Stephanie," Andrew said with a smile as he shook my hand.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"In his office doing paper work," Andrew said as he pointed over his shoulder to the corner of the room.

I looked passed him at the closed door. I reached into my purse and started riffling around. "Do you have a speaker system?"

"Yeah."

"Can you play music over it?" I asked.

"Sure. We do it all the time."

I handed him a cd and told him to put it on track number six. He eyed the cd and then, with a shrug, walked away. I moved further into the room and waited for the music to come on over the speakers. I kept my eyes glued to Ranger's office door as the song came on.

_It don't matter to me _

_If you really feel that _

_You need some time to be free_

_Time to go out searching for yourself_

_Hoping to find_

_Time to go to find_

Ranger's door flew open and he ran out of his office. I watched as he searched the room. He finally spotted me and our eyes locked. He looked surprised to see me. I smiled and gave him a finger wave.

I stood frozen as he walked across the room towards me. He looked so tired. Like he hadn't slept in a couple of days. He stopped right in front of me and gave me a small smile. I put my hand up to his cheek. He looked even more tired up close.

"What are you doing here?" Ranger asked quietly.

"I love you," I said equally as quiet.

"I love you, too," Ranger said as he pulled me into his arms.

I wrapped my arms around him and breathed deeply. His scent flowed through my system. At that moment, I know that I was in the right place with the right person. How could it ever have been anyone other then Ranger?

"Can you leave?" I asked as I pulled back.

"Yeah," Ranger said as he pulled me back to the elevators.

He pulled me close as we waited for the elevator. I leaned into him and put my head on his shoulder. This is where I fit.

"It is, Babe," Ranger whispered into my hair.

I leaned back and smiled up at him. The ESP thing really isn't all that bad. We walked into the elevator and our song was still playing over the speaker. As soon as the doors closed I found myself plastered against the wall of the elevator. Ranger leaned into me. I saw a flash for yearning in his eyes before he lowered his lips to mine.

He pulled away when the elevator dinged to announce that we had reached our floor. We walked out of the building and ran across the street to my rental car. I reached into my pocket and felt something caught on my hand. I pulled my hand out and looked down. The size of the rock on my finger was at least two karats. It sparkled as I tilted my hand in the fading sun light. I looked up at Ranger as a tear slid down my cheek.

"It's perfect," I said with a watery smile.

"No. my love. You are."


End file.
